As tasks become more complex, teams often grow in size. Increases in team size are accompanied by higher coordination demands. Multiteam systems are collections of two or more interdependent teams that share a superordinate goal. To picture a multiteam system, imagine the coordination of response needed after a major car accident. There is the emergency medical services team, an emergency room team, followed by a recovery team.

Although they are technically independent, their activities are interdependent, and the success of one depends on the success of the others. They all share the higher goal of saving lives. Some factors that make smaller, more traditional teams effective do not necessarily apply to multiteam systems and can even hinder their performance. One study showed that multiteam systems performed better when they had “boundary spanners” whose jobs were to coordinate with members of the other subteams.

Research also indicated teams that received more attention and engagement from the organization’s leaders felt more empowered, which made them more effective as they sought to solve their own problems. A multiteam system is best when teams with distinct functions need to be highly coordinated.